Eric poured a little orange juice and a lot of champagne
into my glass. We were trapped in our home beneath three feet of snow, and we
were making a romantic evening of it. Wind whipped and howled outside,
battering snow against the upper windows in the living room. The lower windows
were already covered with a mountain of snow. There was so much snow covering
the windows we could barely see outside. Neither could the cats. Lucky sat on
the windowsill, bewildered he couldn't play his favorite game of spot the
sparrow.

I pushed aside a blind and looked outside. "It's really
coming down." Lucky mewled at me and I scratched him on his head.

"Great. It's going to be coming down until tomorrow
afternoon. Good thing Monday is a holiday, because our car won't be shoveled
out any time soon. I just hope the parking lot is plowed by Tuesday since I
can't miss work."

"What about shoveling out the car? Do you want to do it
in stages?" I asked.

"Nah. I'll pay one of the neighborhood kids $20.00 to
do it. Frank did it for us the last time it snowed like this."

"Which was only one week ago." I returned to the
couch next to Eric.

"Let's not talk about being trapped. That's depressing.
We can turn this into an adventure." He handed me my mimosa and then pushed a
few buttons on a remote control. The trippy trance tunes of Armin van Buuren
filled the living room. "I have something special for us I snuck in here
without you seeing it."

Now that caught my attention. "Oh, what is it? I love
surprises." I sipped my mimosa and sat it on the coffee table. It was the perfect blend of champagne and orange juice. Heavy on the champagne.

Eric walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet. I loved Eric's
surprises. He showed his love for me by showering me with small gifts now and
then. His actions only made me love him more. When he returned, he carried a
brown paper bag in his hands. He handed the bag to me.

"Open it." He said. "I bought it yesterday just
for today because of the snow. We can use it to warm up."

I reached into the bag and felt smooth glass. A bottle. I
pulled the bottle out of the bag and squealed when I saw the label.
"Benedictine! My favorite! I love this stuff."

He grinned. "So do I. You're going to share with the
class, aren't you?"

"Of course." I said as I opened the bottle. He
knew exactly what to do to make me happy. It was the little things that counted
the most. "You want to get the brandy snifters?"

"Aren't you going to finish that mimosa I sweated over
to make for you?" He asked with mock indignation in his voice.

"Of course I am. I'll drink the Benedictine, too."

"So you're a double-fisted drinker. I knew I fell for
you for a reason." He walked to the crystal cabinet, opened it, and
grabbed two brandy snifters. After he returned to the couch, he sat down,
placed the snifters on the coffee table, and took the bottle out of my hands. "There's
nothing like a glass of Benedictine to heat things up. My dad used to buy this
stuff by the case. He deducted it on his tax returns as medicine."

"No he didn't. That was just another one of his tall
tales."

"Yes, he did, and he was proud of it."

"And he got away with it?"

"This was Italy back in the 50s. He got away with a
lot."

Eric poured and within seconds the warm fire of the liqueur
flowed down my throat. Such a smooth drink. He introduced me to it when I first
met him, and I've been hooked ever since. Then, without warning, he took the
glass from my hand and sat it on the coffee table next to his. He wrapped one
arm around me and leaned in for a kiss.

The room went dark. The music stopped playing. Momentarily
disoriented, I wondered what had happened.

"Great. We just lost power. You got matches?" He
asked.

"They're on the coffee table." I grabbed a box of
matches and lit the two pillar candles sitting in front of us. "We
were expecting this, you know. The wind probably knocked down some power lines."
I grabbed one of the candles and stood. "Let me get the oil lamps. We're
going to need them now."

"I'm glad you refilled them and checked the wicks. Good
thinking on your part."

"Thank you." I said as I walked to the back room.
I returned with two oil lamps. After lighting them, I sat one on the kitchen
table and one on an end table in the living room. I also had crackleglass
tealight holders with winter snow scenes painted on them above the TV. I lit
those candles and returned to the couch. The living room glowed amid flickering
candlelight.

"This is very romantic," Eric said. "Let's
take advantage." He handed me my glass of Benedictine. "Let's make a
toast."

"What should we toast to?"

"To us getting it on while the power is out."

"That sounds like a good idea." We clicked our
snifters together and drank. Molten ambrosia flowed down my throat, and I felt
my insides warm up. I could have curled up and purred, I felt so good.

"This is fun but it's too bad the power went out. It's not
like we can watch a movie or anything." Eric said.

"You'd rather watch a movie than play with me?" I
asked.

"Not a chance." He took my snifter before I could
take another sip, sat it on the coffee table, and took me in his arms.

The "50 Shades of Grey" movie came on Valentine's Day, and women around the country have dragged their presumably wary men away from ESPN and repeats of "Mythbusters" to see it. The "50 Shades" series has been the subject of a great deal of hate and kvetching as well as much curiosity and praise. Much of that hate comes from writers who may be jealous of E. L. James's runaway success. It also comes from BDSM practitioners who decry the inaccuracy of the depiction of dominance and submission in the books. Domestic violence activists also condemn the books because they believe – with good reasoning – that Christian Grey's relationship with Ana Steele is based on abuse rather than consensual sex. The praise comes from fans of the series as well as some sex toys companies who have jumped on the bandwagon, thanking the series for increasing sales.

I read the first book but not the rest of the series. I have not seen the movie. Not yet, anyway. Yes, better erotic books with similar themes have been written, but they aren't making millions of dollars; nor have they captured the imagination of ordinary women everywhere who don't normally read "books like that". There are many articles with recommendations for "what to read after '50 Shades of Grey'" and some of the books recommended are doing quite well. There is even a Facebook group with the same name. Some writers have seen an uptick in their sales because of the "50 Shades" phenomenon.

Regardless of what you think of Ana's constant sighing, her chats with her Inner Goddess, or Christian's questionable contract, you can't deny the series' impact, especially that of the first book. Sex toys companies like Lovehoney and Babeland have jumped on the "50 Shades" bandwagon by gearing their sales around the series. I've heard rumors of sales of rope and fasteners sailing out of hardware stores and ending up in couple's bedrooms. Vanilla couples are experimenting with light kink for the first time. If this series results in a relaxing of puritanical views of sex, I'm all for it.

I do not plan to see the movie until it comes out on DVD. I'm more inclined to see a horror movie like "Crimson Peak", which is coming out in October. That said, I've been watching the loosening of pearl clutching over types of sex ranging from vanilla to erotic spanking. I'm very happy to see it. Maybe "50 Shades Of Grey" will help usher in a more relaxed view of sexual relations, which will only benefit everyone.

I was recently a guest on Madeleine Shade's fairy tale blog. She's covering my two erotic fairy tales - "Trouble In Thigh High Boots" (erotic Puss In Boots) and "Climbing Her Tower" (erotic Rapunzel). Don't forget those two books are now available at AllRomanceEBooks.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Since this is my first guest blog, I suppose introductions are in
order. My name is Diana Perrine and I write erotic fiction sprinkled with
truth. Which is which? Wouldn't you love to know, Darling.

I didn't actually choose to write erotic fiction, more like I was
challenged … actually
I was double-dog dared to write it. And as we all know, you can never back down
from a double-dog dare.

A few years ago, a very scintillating trilogy was released. Henceforth,
I shall refer to the trilogy as 'Those Books'. 'Those Books' dealt with a
rather taboo topic. Everyone was talking about 'Those Books'. They flew
off of the shelves. Love 'em or hate 'em; you know which books I'm
talking about.

Even if you don't want to admit it, you've probably at least
glanced at them. It's okay, you don't have to be coy with me Darling, I've read
them too. A co-worker brought 'Those Books' into the office to share. We took
turns plowing through the first, then the second, and finally the third of
'Those Books'. Wow!

Until I had read 'Those Books', I considered such topics as
fodder for comedy sketches and CSI episodes. It's not like I didn't know these
things existed, however those sort of behaviors were for deviants. Right? I
knew that 'normal' sex included more than just the missionary position in the
dark–it encompassed a wide
variety of positions with the lights on, lingerie, and even some whipped cream
once in a while. But it certainly didn't involve pain.

Sure, there is always the occasional problem of zigging versus
zagging or those charlie horses that never get mentioned in romance novels...
but spanking? Why would anyone want a spanking? I never liked them much
as a child, I didn't suppose I would much like one as an adult either,
especially not with a riding crop.

As much as I wanted to dismiss that lifestyle with a snicker, I
couldn't help but wonder if people who enjoy, shall we say, a spicier flavor of
ice cream, knew something that I didn't. Perhaps that is why 'Those books' were
so popular, they awakened people, married women in particular, to the
possibilities of variety, otherwise known as kink. And a new genre was born:
mommy porn.

'Those Books' sold faster than proverbial hotcakes. While the
topic was alluring, in my estimation, the quality of the writing left much to
be desired. (I'm not the only one who holds that opinion.) As I bitterly
complained my way through all three, my husband, Dodge, offered the following
challenge: "If you don't like the writing, write a story like that, only
better." Perhaps he had grown weary of my whining, or more likely, he
sensed an opportunity to help with 'research'.

I hemmed and hawed. Me? Writing erotica? Was I even qualified?
After a few incredibly revealing tete a tete's, a lot of exploration and a bit
of hands-on research ;-), I figured out why 'Those Books' were so appealing.

Average people don't have dungeons in their homes, and
helicopters on their roofs. While they are not, generally speaking, prudes,
they may not have opened their minds to what variety is available. The most
important legacy of 'Those Books', is they got people talking about sex,
experimenting with sex and educating themselves about sex. When I
finally realized this, I discovered what I wanted to say in my writing; I
wanted to explore the process of how ordinary people season their sex-lives.

It all begins with a conversation, much like the ones Dodge and I
had. In my first story, Sugar and Spice, Pepper and Austin, a happily
married couple, break out of their comfort zone. Their conversation and
adventures continue in And Everything Nice where they learn the
importance of communication instead of just assuming they know what the other
partner wants.

Many people dismiss the value of erotica in literature, but these
stories can have a positive impact, because they get us talking to each other.
We may not always agree on what is sexy, but if we can overcome our
squeamishness and start talking about sex and all its flavors openly, we might
just discover amazing new levels of intimacy.

The Pepper and Austin Adventures are
available as ebook for download on Amazon.